


Favorite

by lovethebees



Series: The Perks of Being a Shelby [2]
Category: Peaky Blinders (TV), Peaky Blinders RPF
Genre: Angst, Angst and Humor, Angst and Hurt/Comfort, Arthur being a good brother, Arthur being a softie little thing, Asshole Tommy Shelby, Brother-Sister Relationships, Brotherly Love, Canon-Typical Violence, Fighting, Fluff, Fluff and Angst, Gen, Mentions of Swords, Reader Is A Shelby (Peaky Blinders), Reader doesn't like Grace, Reader-Insert, References to Drugs, Season 3, Strong Female Characters, Strong Language, arthur breathy voice, cute flashback, mentions of guns, reader being mean to arthur, this is so cute tbh, very very sweet
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-11-23
Updated: 2020-11-23
Packaged: 2021-03-10 02:21:38
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,672
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/27686179
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/lovethebees/pseuds/lovethebees
Summary: Thomas Shelby just kicked you out of his wedding you, his beloved younger sister, try to hide in the best place you can think of, with the best booze you can think of.Unfortunately another one of your older brothers, Arthur Shelby, just then decided to act as a knight in shining armour and come to rescue you.(This is basically Arthur being a Good Ol' Brother and having a soft spot for the Reader)
Relationships: Arthur Shelby/Reader, The Shelby Family (Peaky Blinders) & Reader
Series: The Perks of Being a Shelby [2]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/2010250
Comments: 1
Kudos: 23





	Favorite

**Author's Note:**

> Hello, hello, hello here i am again thinking about Peaky Blinders and waiting for season 6, pray with me if you will-in the meantime let's get this party started with the Reader's oldest brother Arthur Shelby.  
> This has been so heart warming to write, I smiled all the way through it. I fucking love this side of Arthur and I am disappointed many writers don't include this side of him in their works, Peaky Blinders' writers I'm talking to you too.  
> ALSO again, I leaned on Isaiah a bit and honestly I don't even know why, I just love him; but it's really mild and not necessary to the plot so that's fine,, isn't it?  
> ALSO ALSO i switched the rating cuz this one is very very fluffy and light.  
> Anyhow if you want check the other story, which is why Reader is so angry at Tommy, if not please Enjoy xx

You didn’t know how, and especially why but you found yourself at the Garrison.

Let me be more clear, not _inside_ the Garrison, pouring yourself an inch of perfect whiskey and contemplating life, regretting every decision since you were born.

You stood _outside_ the Garrison watching the name written on the glass door shine in the dim light of the evening. On the handle of the door hanged over a hand-written sign that said: “CLOSED FOR CELEBRATION”. The letters seemed to mock you and snicker to you, so much that you wanted to throw a punch at it, and you would’ve if it wasn’t for someone who called your name.

“I don’t want to talk Arthur.” You whispered fairly enough to be heard.

You didn’t mind glancing behind you, you didn’t have to, you knew your brother’s heavy footsteps and you could actually feel his presence right behind you.

It wasn’t something out of the world, Arthur always had been the one to rescue you, the one that wanted to make sure you were ok. You thought that maybe it had to do with the fact that he was the oldest, but he didn’t behave the same way with Ada, or Finn; he used to brush them off, not caring, or at least not like this.

You always suspected you were his favorite, mainly because he always used to take your side in your disputes with Ada, the fact that he taught you how to fight, using Finn as a puppet to make you practice your punches when you were little.

But the confirmation came when you were around 10 years old, playing around with some boy in the backyard of Polly’s home.The boy was one of your oldest friend from the days back when the peaky blinders weren’t a thing yet, and he used to stop at your house on the way to the bakery his father ran, to play with you. The games were various, and always, in some kind of ways, involved fighting. Thinking back at it now, it shouldn’t have surprised Tommy that much seeing you in the ring.

However, that morning you were playing pirates. He had craved this amazing swords out of wood and, yes—they were rough and there were splinters that from times to times pierced the skin of your hands but they were firm and whenever they came in contact with each others the sound they made always used to make you laugh.

So, you played with them- a lot. You always used to come home with some bruises on your arms, legs or even face, which always ended up with Tommy or Polly being mad at you.

This one day, you were deciding which one of you should’ve been the captain of your imaginary sailboat, which actually consisted in a bunch of flat tree-trunks, and the wheel of a cart to function as the helm. You had one of Polly’s brassiere, on top of your head, and the boy was trying to snatch it off, because that was actually the Captain’s hat.

“Girls _can’t_ be Captains!” The boy snickered, and, to grab the piece of clothing already fastened under your chin, he unintentionally punched you in the face.

You drew back you head when you felt the pain hit your nostrils, and you scrunched up your whole face when you saw how he put the brassiere on top of his head, proudly.

Something came alive inside of you, something raw, unnatural, something that made you take the sword back in your hands and hit the boy repeatedly.

The scene would’ve been quite funny for those who weren’t involved, two kids playing around, one screaming with a bra on top of his head, running away from the other who wield a wooden sword swinging it back and forth trying to hit the boy. For the kids, well it wasn’t that funny.

For you it was like declaring war, mainly because you were born and raised with the simple idea that you could’ve been everything you wanted to— Polly’s words; and also because that punch hurt, and he didn’t seem apologetic enough.

For the kid, well it was a living hell, because he'd never had a girl run behind him with a sword trying to hit him.

Only when the kid threw you Polly’s brassiere, taking back his swords and running away, swearing not to come near you ever again, you noticed Arthur on the doorstep, his arms crossed and a proud and funny smile on his face.

“Fucking hell (Y/N), you ‘now he didn’ mean it.” His raspy voice woke you from your memory, and you dramatically let your forehead fall on the glass door of the Garrison— you inherited the drama from John.

“If he said it he meant it.” Your voice come out muffled, and even though you wanted to walk back to Arthur and say that you only wanted what was best for you brother, who clearly would’ve enveloped you in a warm hug and carried you back to the party, you stood still.

Because you knew that was something Tommy had to fix, it wasn’t like he was forgetting you birthday, or him pulling you out from the ring most of the times, him getting mad at you for throwing tantrums in the pubs, cause of course you couldn’t have been angry at him for those. You hated him for not letting you do everything you wanted to, but in some kind of way you loved him deeply because you knew that he was just, in his own twisted way, protecting you.

But this thing, the words he spoke to you so rashly, so viciously, while looking at you straight into your eyes, it made you feel like he meant them. And you weren’t ready to give in yet.

“You can’ get your mind twisted over…” He seemed to think about what he was saying, and you glanced sideways watching him squirm on his stance. “ _words._ ” He spitted out the word like venom and you smiled, because you knew his brows were furrowed and he was gesturing with his hands even if you weren’t watching him.

“Who sent you?” Your mind was going at a pace which not even your mouth could stay on tracks of because suddenly the question now was if Tommy had sent Arthur to check on you, and if he actually did he was only enraging you more and Arthur knew it too well.

You swinged on your feet, placing your back on the door of the pub and finally watching Arthur that, like every time Tommy was involved, was watching at his shoes. Your arms crossed over you thick coat and you crooked an eyebrow, watching how Arthur lingered to answer to question, his feet lightly picking at the asphalt, his short hair falling down his forehead covering partially his face.

“Uhm…” he lingered again when you coughed loudly, it was like watching a kid trying to admit they did something bad, and you would’ve smiled, because you loved how small, how affectionate he used to become whenever Tommy was involved, because he felt under appreciated by him. But right then, as he squirmed, you couldn’t stand him.

The same sharp feeling of the morning when you were playing pirates with the boy, rushed over you. You wanted to scream, and hit someone, you wanted to hit Arthur for being so stupid, for doing everything Tommy said _every time_ , even though he didn’t want to.

You hated him so much that you didn’t notice your mouth speaking.

“Always covering up from big ol’ Tommy, aren’t you Arthur?—“ you spitted it out, slipping away from the door walking towards Arthur, hanging you head low to see him underneath the hair. “When Tommy says kill that guy, you go and kill him. When Tommy says blow up that place you go and _boom_. When Tommy says go fuck yourself, you go and fuck yourself.” You were shouting as you reached the end of the sentence.

Arthur was standing still, his hands on either side of his stance as you walked around him.

“He uses you like a puppet, can’t you see? He uses you and doesn’t give a fuck about you and you go after him like a crying little dog. You fix his problems Arthur and what he repays you with? _Nothing_.” You felt completely and utterly empty as you finished talking, standing tall in front of you brother waiting for his reaction.

You regretted those words as soon as you spoke, you took a few steps back, your mouth agape and you uneven breaths making your chest rise and fall repeatedly.

You were just about to say that you were sorry, that you didn’t actually believe what you were saying, that you knew Arthur was doing all those things because, like everyone of you, wanted to protect your family, that you cared deeply about him, that you admire him for how he was up to put his own life at risk to protect any one of you; but he beat you to it.

“What did I say ‘bout words?” His face suddenly rose, you could see the fair dimples on either side of his mouth appear slowly as his smile grew.

He wasn’t angry, he was smiling; he wasn’t squirming in his stance, he was trying not to laugh.Your brother had tricked you— and here you all thought Tommy was the smart one.

“Tommy didn't send you…” He shook his head smiling.

You were torn between being angry at him, because he was playing mind games, or just letting it go, because he was actually right.

When you felt his deep belly laugh erupt you couldn’t suppress the smile that was spreading on your lips, and, as it was all just a memory, you laughed along.

That was the thing you loved about him, how he always used to come up and solve your problems, not just for you— for everyone, even for Tommy. Arthur was a problem solver, he didn’t always exceeded in fraternal conflicts, he liked a more aggressive method to save the situation, but he’d always have some tricks up his sleeve.

“Who did then?” You asked, now real curiosity settled on your features and Arthur spread his shoulders, crossing his arms and looking smudge at you.

“What?” You shove one of his shoulders laughing, making him lose balance, urging him to speak.

“Isaiah boy.” He was smiling when your face fell.

Isaiah talked to Arthur? So he _was_ eavesdropping. You would’ve certainly get him back for that.

“He got the hots for a Shelby, eh?” If your jaw wasn’t touching the floor then, it surely was right now.

If Arthur, someone who didn’t give a flying fuck about anyone business of romance and other stupid things, was aware that Isaiah had a special spot for you, then it would’ve been clear to _anyone._

“I don’ wanna know anythin’ (Y/N), but tell the boy if he try to break your heart I’ll fucking com’ for him.” He started speaking like he was saying something funny and light and as he went on with the sentence Arthur changed tone, his raspy, deep voice vibrating in your ears, smile disappearing from his lips and his finger pointing at your face.

Of course you didn’t know what the fuck he was talking about, but this is a story for another time.

“Now, get you’ arse in the car or I’ll fucking drag you.” He was actually joking, and you knew that, but the thought of going back to the party made you freeze.

“What?” Arthur’s voice shook you from the moment, and you glanced at him that held open the door of the car for you to get in.

“I don’t wanna go there…” Tommy’s words suddenly hit back, his dead serious tone making your skin cover in goosebumps.

Arthur seemed to notice how uneasy you were feeling, he dropped his head before taking a few tentative steps towards you. His hands came to steady your body on your upper arms and he looked at you with such lovingly eyes that you couldn’t hold back the sad smile that was forming on your lips even though your sight was partially obscured by the thick tears that threaten to fall from your eyes.

Tommy words really did stung. You could feel something heavy and firm pressing on your chest, so much that you worried that was something wrong with your heart.

“You kno’ what ya need to do (Y/N)?” The question was purely rhetorical but you shook you head anyway. Arthur held your shoulders, and you noticed some kind of emotional pain in his eyes too. “You need to get back there, cos’ you’re family (Y/N), and Tommy cannot tell _my_ _si_ _ster_ she’s not welcome to a family celebration. He’s not the boss of me.” The way he said _my_ and _sister_ made you smile involuntarily, filling your chest with something you associated with fraternal love.

He was scrunching up his mouth, a grin was appearing on his lips, and when he circled your back with his arms and pulled you closer to him you smiled weakly.

“He’ll never apologise.” That was an understatement, even when he was very little Tommy refused to be held responsabile for everything, and if he did something wrong, he’d always shrug the matter off his shoulders, or behave like it didn’t matter or like it never happened, especially with his brothers and sisters.

You didn’t know if you really needed an apology or if you wanted him to be aware that the things he said hurt you deeply, to make him show some remorse for what he said; in both cases you wanted him to come and beg for you even if he didn’t mean those words he did said them and he had to be held accountable for them— something Thomas Shelby would never do.

“No…—“ Arthur was pushing you into the car, and you smiled when you reached the door grasping at it with a hand and watching his sad smile. “Doesn’ mean you can’t be with ’us, eh!”Arthur was smiling widely, pushing lightly your back to make you climb in the car.

You knew why we wanted you there, and it wasn’t a secret for anyone.

Arthur couldn’t manage social gathering without you— well, he could, but it had this kind of tendencies that always would resolve in murder. You didn’t exactly hold him off— cause you both didn’t have the patience and passive-aggressive demeanour that only Tommy seemed to have inherited,but you were a good distraction from things that usually would make him angry.

In fact, he’d be so lost in watching what you were doing, where you were going, that he would completely forgot the matter that would’ve made him flip mad and probably bite someone’s ear off their heads.

Watching over you was something he always did, firstly because Tommy always used to tell him, making sure you and Finn behaved in social settings, but also because Arthur loved being the big brother, and bossing Finn around.

You sighed, thinking that, wherever that conversation was going, you would’ve got back to the party no matter what, but only for Arthur’s sake.

So you held your tongue, smiled at Arthur and jumped in the passenger seat of the car.

Your brother was smiling widely and brushed his hands together as to congratulate himself on the rescue, which made you laugh lightly.

“I love you Arthur.” You breathed out mindlessly, once he climbed inside the car closing the door with a loud thud.

“Ehh…” It came out like a grunt, one of those he always used to make when he was enjoying things.

He was trying to get the engine going so you couldn’t see his face, but if you could you would’ve seen a very flushed Arthur with a big, happy smile on his lips.

**Author's Note:**

> I want to thank every one of you who told me to write more about the series, I love you all so much, I'm having so much fun doing this. 
> 
> Kudos and Comments are highly appreciated and welcome, i always check them because it makes me feel warm and fuzzy.  
> Thank you for taking the time to read my piece and please feel free to tell me if there's any grammar mistakes so I can correct them since English isn't my main tongue.  
> remember to always Love The Bees, peace out //


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